Four candidates are being considered for the position of director at Fort Smith Regional Airport by the Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission. The previous director, Michael Griffin, resigned in April 2021 after serving in the position for 4 years and being with the airport for a total of 18 years. To fill the vacancy, the commission appointed Lindsay Conley, the airport’s director of finance and administration, and Andrew Meyer, the airport’s director of operations, as co-interim directors.
In May 2021, Atlantic Beach, Fla. -based ADK Consulting and Executive Search was hired for $45,306 to conduct a full-search for a new director. The in-person interviews for the four finalists will take place on September 8, 2021. The salary range for the position is $149,000 to $196,000, with Griffin’s base salary being $165,000 at the time of his resignation. The airport currently has 16 employees and an annual operating budget of $3. 121 million.
The four candidates being considered for the director position are Drake Beaton, Michael Clow, Wade Davis, and Andrew Meyer. Beaton currently works as the acting deputy director of finance and administration at San Jose Mineta International Airport in California, where he oversees a team of 32 employees and manages financial stability and contracting for the airport’s properties and commercial development areas. He holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Colorado Technical University.
Clow is the governmental affairs and grants administration manager for the Delaware River and Bay Authority in New Jersey, where he manages governmental affairs and grants programs for the bi-state multi-model transportation authority. He holds a master’s degree in business administration-aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a bachelor’s degree in naval science from Iowa State University.
Davis was previously the executive director of the Montgomery Airport Authority in Alabama before resigning in May 2025. He has also served in various airport management positions in New York and Louisiana. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from State University of New York, a master’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in engineering and global operations management from Clarkson University.
Meyer, the only internal candidate, has been the operations director at Fort Smith Regional Airport since October 2024. In this role, he oversees day-to-day operations, including emergency response, building maintenance, and security. He has previous experience in operations at other airports in California and Georgia. Meyer holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation administration from California State University and is a private pilot.
The director of Fort Smith Regional Airport plays a crucial role in bringing in new airlines and routes to the airport, as well as supporting the U. S. Air Force’s foreign military pilot training center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.